Court dismisses challenge to Aldi planning permission in Meath

A challenge to planning permission for a new Aldi supermarket in Laytown, Co Meath, has been dismissed by the High Court.

Eoin Kelly, a structural engineer whose family home was in Laytown and who now resides in nearby Bettystown, brought judicial review proceedings against An Bord Pleanála over its September 2017 decision to permit the demolition of a disused nursing home at Strand Road and replace it with a 1,729 metre Aldi store and car park.

The board opposed the challenge. Meath Co Council and Aldi were notice parties in the case.

Mr Kelly's grounds included that the board inspector limited consideration of a screening report vis-a-vis the affect of the development on special areas of conservation (SAC) to a two-kilometre radius when he was obliged, under EU Habitat regulations, to consider an area within 15km.

The Boyne river coast and estuary SAC is located 4km north of the site.

The inspector found no direct interference or loss of habitat would occur as a result of the development but he had applied the wrong statutory test in doing so, it was claimed.

Mr Kelly also claimed there was a fundamental flaw in the decision in that the board incorrectly classified the site as “edge of centre” rather than “out of centre”.

The former boss of an international automotive parts manufacturing firm - whose main shareholder is registered in Sandyford, Dublin - is entitled to €1.5m worth of shares after he was fired for allegedly failing to address the company's financial difficulties, the High Court has ruled.

Sterling slipped further and Irish shares fell sharply as fears of investors rose that the political turmoil in the UK will lead to Boris Johnson becoming leader, and Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.